Autism Progress
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel highlights key recent findings in research on autism spectrum disorders.
Posts from 2012
The Top Ten Research Advances of 2012
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel describes his top picks in research advances for 2012.
Roads Not Taken
By Thomas Insel on
NIMH’s director talks about the need for research that explores the frontiers of science and funding efforts to encourage innovative research.
From Practice to Research
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel introduces an innovative approach that one group is taking to speed up the dissemination of research results into clinical practice.
A Decade of Perspective
By Thomas Insel on
In looking back at ten years as NIMH director, Dr. Insel talks about the importance of rigorous science as the source of new, sometimes surprising, knowledge and ultimately, more effective means of prevention and treatment for mental illness.
Words Matter
By Thomas Insel on
Some barriers to progress are simply linguistic. In mental health, we are stymied by our language. For example, terms like “depression” or “schizophrenia” or “autism” have achieved a reality that far outstrips their scientific value. Each refers to a cluster of symptoms, similar to “fever” or “headache.” Yet the field has imbued these “fictive categories” with biological meaning, which has precluded the development of biomarkers that might confer validity. Is PTSD – or autism – a “disorder” or an injury? We need a broad conversation to help us understand how our language may be holding us back, limiting not only our impact but our imagination.
Junk No More
By Thomas Insel on
If genes comprise only 2 percent of our DNA, what is the function of the remaining 98 percent? A massive ENCODE project has revealed that nearly 80 percent of our genome is read out, or transcribed – much of it devoted to regulating the turning on and off of genes. Yet, there are also vast stretches of non-coding RNAs, some unique to humans, especially regions that appear active for specifying brain development. Differences associated with autism and mental disorders are in these areas previously considered “junk.” The new map pinpoints sites where proteins called transcription factors alter the timing and amounts of gene expression – mechanisms that are likely at the heart of mental disorders, whether they are mainly due to environmental stressors or genetic factors.
Strategy on Suicide Prevention
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel provides context for a new National Strategy for Suicide Prevention
Summer Science
By Thomas Insel on
Numerous provocative advances in neuroscience were reported during the summer of 2012.
A Promising Behavioral Treatment for Tourette Syndrome
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel describes a new behavioral treatment for a neurologically based disorder that has traditionally been difficult to treat.
Preventing Suicide, One Employer at a Time
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses recent efforts made by the NFL and other employers to help prevent suicides, and the importance of suicide prevention research.
Achieving an AIDS-free Generation
By Thomas Insel on
NIMH research on HIV/AIDS will be well represented at the XIX International AIDS Conference, being held in the United States for the first time since 1990.
The Pay-Offs of ARRA
By Thomas Insel on
Experimental Medicine
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses the crisis of medication development for mental disorders.
Serving Those Who Served
By Thomas Insel on
Serving Those Who Served
Time Matters – Why We Care So Much About Data Sharing
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses the dynamics of data sharing in research.
Citizen Science
By Thomas Insel on
Presentations at a recent meeting in San Diego showed how new technologies are being used to change the culture of science, empowering patients, and fueling innovative research approaches.
The Future of Psychiatry (= Clinical Neuroscience)
By Thomas Insel on
While fewer medical students are choosing psychiatry in the U.K., in the U.S. psychiatry is attracting increasing numbers of elite MD-PhD students who want to do research. These young scientists are committed to developing a new scientific basis for clinical care.
The New Genetics of Autism – Why Environment Matters
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses how new research may help tie together seemingly disparate findings in genetic vs environmental risk factors in autism spectrum disorders.
Brain’s Wiring Revealed in HD
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses new functional connectomes and developments in human brain imaging.
Autism Prevalence: More Affected or More Detected?
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses the CDC's latest report on autism prevalence.
From Paresis to PANDAS and PANS
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses the connection between mental disorders and infection in light of pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders PANS and PANDAS.
Join the Revolution
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses the state of science and math education in the U.S., scientific literacy, and Brain Awareness Week.
Research Domain Criteria -- RDoC
By Thomas Insel on
The RDoC project is an experimental approach to classification of mental disorders that will serve as a framework for ongoing research.
Spotlight on Eating Disorders
By Thomas Insel on
National Eating Disorders Awareness Week starts February 26. Dr. Insel discusses some surprising facts about these disorders, which are among the most fatal.
An Emerging Era of Big Data
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses the emergence of “big data” and how open sharing of data could impact mental health research.
The Long Paths to Breakthroughs
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel talks about how basic research can lead to potential treatments.
Balancing Immediate Needs with Future Innovation
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel responds to discussion from the National Advisory Mental Health Council concerning the need to balance research funding for basic science and mental health services.
We Are the Government
By Thomas Insel on
NIMH’s “government bureaucrats” are really dedicated public servants devoted to good patient care, improved treatments, and scientific discovery.
Treatment Development: Where do we go from here?
By Thomas Insel on
Dr. Insel discusses opportunities for treatment development.